Montessori
101
101
What are the three parts of the Montessori Triad?
Name the 4 Emergency Drills
1. Fire
2. Earthquake
3. Soft Lockdown
4. Hard Lockdown
A child brought what looks like peanut butter sandwich. The teacher examined it and they are not sure. The child had no other lunch, so the teacher had the child sit at a separate table and eat the sandwich.
Was this ok?
If not, what should the teacher have done?
Call parent/BW msg to ask if it’s peanut butter or sunflower butter
Do not allow a child to eat the sandwich
Store the sandwich in a high cabinet and send home at the end of the day with a note that we are nut-free facility
Give a child some snack items (ie. make a sunflower butter sandwich for them, or offer fruits and veggies)
How much Paid Time Off does NOPA offer?
When should you plan your travel and vacations?
-4 weeks of PTO vacation + addition 2 weeks PTO for summer break (6 weeks of school breaks)
-5 additional flex Paid days off (7 weeks of PTO total)
-8 Paid Days of Sick Time
-ALL vacations need to be planned for our school closures.
-Please do not plan vacations outside of our school breaks, that is very hard on the team. Save the 5 PTO flex days for that special occasion / wedding of a friend, family reunion.
-being out when school is in session is hard on the whole school system. Sometimes that will happen and we are a team and will cover for each other. Time off is so important, which is why the calendar is the way that it is - 6 weeks of closures.
What are the teacher to child ratios indoors and outdoors for Toddler and Primary?
Primary–indoors: 1:12 // outdoors 1:6 // BONUS nap 1:24
Toddler–indoors: 1:6 // 1:3 // BONUS nap 1:12
Fill in the blank: Montessori is a __________ sport?
Team
True or False & Why:
For earthquake drills, it is best for children to find a table to hide under and for adults to get to a doorway.
False: It is best to drop where you are and protect your neck because you could fall over while walking to a table or doorway and get injured.
A parent invites you to their child’s birthday party, how do you respond?
"Thank you so much for the invitation, that is really sweet. Unfortunately, the school has a policy that doesn’t allow teachers to attend non-school events. Thanks so much for the thought though, we look forward to celebrating John’s birthday at school."
True or False:
It’s ok to book flights and then ask for approval for time off if the trip is far in advance.
False: Never ok to book flights first, must get approval first, otherwise unfortunately you are either risking your job or the cost of tickets.
Name all the circumstances when headcounts must be done?
Upon arrival to classroom at beginning of your shift
Attendance gets done around 8:45 / headcount
When leaving the classroom, arriving at park, continuously during park play, before leaving park, when arriving to classroom. *Anytime something out of the ordinary happens and you noticed yourself lose focus on group (attending to a conflict resolution, supporting with an injury, etc…)
What does "grace and courtesy" mean?
Grace: Focuses on the child’s relationship with their own body and immediate physical environment. It includes learning how to walk around someone's floor work without stepping on it, carrying a chair quietly, and navigating the classroom
Courtesy: Focuses on interactions with others. It includes learning how to offer a greeting, interrupt politely (often by placing a gentle hand on a teacher's shoulder and waiting), say "excuse me," offer help, share food, or handle a conflict.
True or False & Why:
If you see a coyote at the park, you should get the children and run away
False. You should clap to gather the children, then make yourself big and loud, blow your emergency whistle, and slack the whole school to let them know where the coyote was.
A parent asks you to babysit their child on the weekend, how do you respond?
Thank you so much for asking. Unfortunately, the school has a policy that doesn’t allow teachers to babysit any current families. Thank you for asking though.
When requesting a day off or a sick day, whose role is to communicate to the classroom team?
The person requesting should communicate any planned absence OR unexpected sick absence:
-to the Lead Guide
-to the team via Slack.
True or False: Only the Lead teacher needs to be aware of the number of children in the classroom.
False. Every teacher needs to know exactly how many children are present in the classroom, number of children in your group, and who is absent.
What is the "Rubber Band"?
The approach to limit setting. Children have freedom within limits. We give them as much freedom as they can handle.
Where are our Emergency Evacuation Locations?
1. Panhandle Park near Fell and Cole St.
2. Park Branch Public Library - 1833 Page St.
When can we apply sunscreen and what do we need in order to be able to apply sunscreen?
What steps do you need to take to apply any ointment to children? (ie. lipbalm, diaper cream, lotion)
We only apply suncreen at 3pm for EC, not in the morning / Need a topical application form.
We need a topical application form (get it from Lead Guide or Office)
Time reporting for the work shift: how do we handle time reporting at NOPA?
The Lead Guide did attendance and wrote 22 on the white board. As the AT you do a count upon arrival and count 23, what should you do?
Trust the Lead Guide, there are 22 children in the room, I’m sure they did it correctly.
Do a recount and figure out with the Lead Guide where the mistake is.
What does O.V.E.R.V.I.E.W. stand for?
Order
Voice
Emergencies
Relationships
Visibility
Interest
Energy
Work (of the Guide)
You encounter a person at the park who seems unstable and you feel uncomfortable, what should you do? (ie you hear yelling/cursing from afar, someone is really intoxicated, etc)
Gather children and leave the area
Turn around and walk a different way
Communicate: Slack whole school channel to alert others of any potential risks
Get support: Slack/Text or Call Masha/Mariana/Theanna - we cab meet you to offer additional support
Slack whole school channel to alert others of any potential risks
If you are having friction with a NOPA team members what are the lines of communication to keep in mind:
Assume the best intention and speak with the person
If you need support: reach out to the Lead Guide. You may just want advice from the Lead Guide or you may be requesting the Lead Guide to support a conversation.
If that is ineffective, reach out to Mariana or Masha. You may just want advice from Mariana/Masha or you may be requesting support to have a conversation or resolution.
What does being "On Time" mean?
If you are running late, what should you do?
-Being ready in the classroom at the time of your shift (ie 8am, 9:15). Meaning you have put your items away, went to the bathroom and you are ready to go.
-If you will arrive 1 min or more after your shift, slack team, Mariana, and Masha.
True or False & Why?
Children must wear shoes while napping on their cots.
True
In an emergency
*In a pinch put shoes on after child is asleep
What are the 4 Steps to Limit-Setting?
Implied Expectation
State the Expectation
Give a Binary Choice
Follow Through on the Ladder
Talk us through how you do a Fire drill from the announcement to the "All clear!"
Teachers should gather: 1) the emergency backpack (has rope & drill clipboard inside)
Students quietly line up and proceed out of the front of the building to the designated evacuation location
1 Teacher checks classroom & bathroom & closets
Headcount as going outside
Outside, teachers do a headcount and “Name to Face” using roster on drill clipboard.
Once all students are confirmed to be present by HoS/Admin, Teachers will be given the verbal “all clear”
What type of communication are Assistant Teachers encouraged to have with families at pick up?
Happy/easy moments:
Talk about they had a good day
It was nice weather and we had such a good day outside, kiddos were playing a fun running game.
If you are ill and need to call out, how should you do that and by when?
Ideally call out the day before OR at least give a heads up that you are under the weather, you may need to call off and you will let us know in the morning.
Must call out by 6:30am by texting and slacking Masha and Mariana. If we do not respond, we did not get the message. Wait 15 min and if there is no response, call Masha x 2 times.
If in the indoor playspace, how wide can you open a window?
Less than a child’s head width OR if opening wide, must remain at the window. If you need to walk away to give a message or support a child, you must close the window to less than a child’s head width.
Cannot leave the window open unattended. That would be the same as having the front door open.